A: Niger lies on the geographical coordinates of 16° 0' 0" N, 8° 0' 0" E.

Latitude and Longitude of Niger in other units:

More detail about Niger

Niger Ranking Lowest on United Nations Human Development Act

Despite the fact that Niger has some of the largest deposits of uranium in the world, it is still one of the poorest countries in the world and listed last on the United Nations Human Development Act. The economy of the country is largely based upon subsistence crops as well as livestock but there isn't enough to create adequate employment opportunities.

The traditional farming that Niger finds itself involved with, include herding and other such things. Other elements that add to the economy are seasonal migration, small trading and various informal markets. These create very few formal sector jobs.

Although there are crops being grown, the rainfall is not enough to keep the crops consistent or enough even for the population. The main crops that the locals feed on are millet, cowpeas, and onions. Millet provides for almost three quarters of the calories that these individuals eat every day. There are smaller quantities of peppers, garlic, sesame seeds, and gum Arabic produced but these are sold as exports.

In 2004, conditions of drought and locusts were so bad that the government declared it as a disaster. There were outbreaks of disease as well as wide spread malnutrition. The food structure was insecure and as a result of this plus other market triggers, in 2005 and 2006, there was a food crisis declared. The following few years, the cereal harvests were better but these grains were not distributed correctly and in 2009, the rainfall again was poor, thus giving a bad crop harvest.

Niger has gone through some very harsh times and continues to cope with them. They have had and will have foreign aid but this will only help if distributed and used wisely. It is difficult to see a bright future for this country as setbacks continue but with various reforms underway, there is still hope.